And Then She Was Gone

Adapt and Overcome

Dominick stood outside a medium sized building located within the training grounds of Pinecrest Packs territory. His broad shoulders wide as he stood there with hands clasped behind his back, legs spread producing a stable authoritative position. His posture and severe face demanded the attention of all the young men lined up in three rows, each row consisting of fifteen. All standing in rigid formation. All in matching uniforms consisting of black cargo pants held up by a stocked tactical belt with a matching black shirt, and heavy steel toed boots. The only difference between the young men and Dominick was that they all had their faces obscured with military grade gas masks tightly strapped to their heads.

"Being a good warrior takes a large degree of adaptability." his voice loud, bellowing so that all words were clearly heard by the crowd of men. "Every swinging dick standing in front of me has an ego. Each and every one of you. You all think you're some tough shit." he said patronizingly to the men rather bluntly with a smirk on his face. "Maybe you can bend steel as easy as a paperclip. Maybe you're the fastest runner in the pack. Maybe you have the sharpest claws. Maybe you even have a bite sooooo vicious that it can snap an Alphas femur in half...But guess what? None of that will mean jack shit when you come face to face with a cooked grenade filled with silver shrapnel."

"What is adaptability?" he said as his fingers unclasped moving his hands forward to cross his arms in front, as he began to take measured strides, pacing in front of the lines. He delivered a hard stare that seemed to reach each and every set of eyes before him. "Adaptability is the deciding factor on whether or not you will come home to fuck your mate after war. It's being able to change plan in a moments notice. Being able to develop an effective strategy while the world burns down around you... And being able to withstand the tactics of your enemy. We can provide you with simulations on what you will undoubtedly experience from outside aggressors, but it is up to you on whether or not you hone and master this skill."

"This building we are stood in front of is what we like to refer to as the gas chamber." he said as his frame stopped and he pointed behind him to the minimalistic concrete building. "It is in here where you will get to experience the very lovely Banebomb." he said with a grin, hands moving into his pockets lazily but his posture remaining tight and upright. "It's name so eloquently derived from its main ingredient, wolfsbane. It is a highly concentrated, extremely potent weapon that when ignited can knock out every one of you dick cheeses within minutes. First it will increase your heart rate and make it difficult for you to breath, forcing you to gasp and only encouraging more absorption into your lungs. Your body will become lethargic and extremely weak and your mind will begin to disorient, you may even vomit or piss yourself. Finally, you will lose control of your motor movements and then the world will fade to black and you will lose consciousness. It may even be lethal if you're at ground zero when it goes off."

"In a moment, we all will go into this building with gas masks on. Beta Kano is waiting for us in a ventilated part of the structure and will, on my command, set off a Banebomb and begin pumping the pollutant through the ceiling vent. Once the thick smog begins to fill the air, all gas masks are to be removed. Utilize the short time you have to internalize the color of the smog, the thickness of it and the way it billows. It has distinct features that can be easily recognized, and which will prove vital. By knowing what it looks like, you will know how to remove yourself from the threat before its intoxicating effects take grasp."

"In this exercise, we will work on strengthening the lungs and the mind. Before you remove your gas mask, make sure to take a deep breath, because you will be holding it for as long as possible. It will burn your eyes, so I suggest you rapidly blink to cause less irritation, do not keep them closed you need to learn how to deal with and dampen the sensation. Most importantly, keep calm, panic will only lead to you succumbing to the effects of the bomb. Our goal is to remain in the chamber for three minutes, after the time is up Beta Kano will release the locks and permit exit. Make sure that if you did successfully manage to hold your breath during the entire time of captivity, that upon exit you take a quick inhale as the gas flows out so you familiarize yourself with the smell, one whiff and it will stick with you for the rest of your life. Do not touch your face, there are warriors that will be standing by the exit at the back of the building to assist in dousing you with water. This aids in removing the toxin from your skin and clothes."